Visit Newport Beach, a Southern California nonprofit that markets the city as a tourist destination, is organizing the first Newport Beach-themed float since 2006 for the 2024 Rose Parade.
The tourist organization was approached by Tournament of the Roses staff in March to participate in the annual event after seeing one of their marketing ads, according to Megan Johns, a spokesperson with Visit Newport Beach.
The Tournament of the Roses Association holds the Pasadena Rose Parade and Rose Bowl college football game on New Year’s Day annually—unless Jan. 1 is a Sunday, in which case the events are held on Jan. 2—which many Americans watch as part of their New Year’s celebration.
The theme of Newport Beach’s float—which will cost in the low six figures—will be related to the city’s popular annual Christmas Boat Parade, a “parade within a parade,” Ms. Johns told The Epoch Times.
The float will be a train of five individual floats, designed to look like boats floating on water. There also will be Christmas decorations, including polar bears, a snowman, Christmas lights, stockings, presents, and Christmas trees mixed with palm trees from the city’s coastal landscaping.
Funding will come from Visit Newport Beach’s annual budget, Ms. Johns said.
The float will be assembled by Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale, California, using seeds, vegetation, and floral elements—as is customary for Rose Parade floats—according to Ms. Johns.
The theme of the 2024 Rose Parade is “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language,” which is meant to explore various cultures, beliefs, hopes, and dreams through music.
Newport Beach’s last float in 2006—in celebration of the city’s centennial—depicted three sailboats with an inscription reading “Newport Harbor.”
